Every season at this time of year, those who follow the NHL can't help but fantasize about potential blockbuster trades involving big-name players and blue-chip prospects.

Many of those desired deals never come to fruition, but that shouldn't stop us from hoping to see some wild trades in the days leading up to the March 8 deadline.

Here are five scenarios that would be very appealing for one reason or another, regardless of how likely they may be.

Oilers grab Guentzel

The Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly listening to offers on all of their non-core players, but team president and general manager Kyle Dubas must not consider Jake Guentzel part of the core. The executive left the door open for Guentzel to be moved when asked about the productive winger earlier this month.

If Guentzel does become available, there'll be suitors lining up around the block. But the Edmonton Oilers would arguably be the most tantalizing destination for the Nebraska-born forward, simply because it would give fans a chance to see a two-time 40-goal-scorer on either Connor McDavid's or Leon Draisaitl's wing.

Guentzel is expected to return from injury about a week after the deadline, so that likely wouldn't be too concerning for Edmonton. He's also on long-term injured reserve at the moment, which will make it easier to balance the money.

A swap between these two clubs would be very tricky financially and perhaps further complicated by Guentzel's 12-team no-trade list. But if the Oilers could offer the Penguins a package featuring top prospect Dylan Holloway, a couple of high picks - including their first-rounder in the upcoming draft - and a roster player like forward Warren Foegele while satisfying cap and roster limit concerns, they might be able to make it happen.

Flower the Flyer

Marc-Andre Fleury recently made it clear he doesn't want to abandon the Minnesota Wild as they fight for a playoff spot. But the Central Division club's postseason hopes are pretty slim, so the closer we get to March 8, the wiser Fleury would be to consider approving a move to a contender.

There are plenty of destinations for Fleury that could be fun. The Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes could both benefit from his experience in goal. But what about pairing one of the NHL's most likable players with John Tortorella, one of the league's most quotable head coaches?

The Flyers are surprisingly competitive but could use some help in the crease. Samuel Ersson and Cal Petersen have been subpar for Philadelphia in goal this season despite the team exceeding expectations as a whole. Numerous Flyers are trade candidates before the deadline, but general manager Daniel Briere shouldn't be a seller. His team has a good chance of qualifying for the postseason, so while it isn't time for him to go all-in for a deep run, it wouldn't be smart to start subtracting, either.

Fleury's not worth a first-round pick at this stage of his career - in terms of his on-ice contributions, anyway - but the Flyers have two second-round picks in both this year's draft and the next one. They could send one of them to Minnesota along with a mid-level prospect or a roster player with some upside. The Flyers won't need to put together a hefty return for the 39-year-old's services, and they have the assets to make something happen.

Golden Knights get Tarasenko

The Vegas Golden Knights should be exploring deals for all types of forwards, be they wingers or centers. The Pacific Division squad has a lengthy injured reserve list at the moment, including numerous players up front like Mark Stone and Jack Eichel. The latter shouldn't be out for too much longer, but the former will be out for a while.

Enter Vladimir Tarasenko, a right winger who could help fill the void in Stone's absence and then provide some depth if and when the Vegas captain returns. Tarasenko isn't as reliable as Stone at both ends, and his best days are behind him at 32 years old. But the Russian has been producing offense at a reasonable clip on a lackluster Ottawa Senators squad.

The Golden Knights will have to jettison some salary when they activate Eichel and his $10-million cap hit. Moving Stone and his $9.5-million figure to LTIR would seemingly take care of that in the short term. After making that switch, Vegas is projected to have around $5.5 million in cap space at the deadline.

Tarasenko's price probably won't be a first-round pick at this stage of his career. Even if it is, the Golden Knights still possess nearly all of their draft picks for the next three years, missing only a 2024 fourth-rounder and a 2025 seventh-round selection. They could take on the veteran's $5-million cap hit without forcing Ottawa to retain, and they might only need to give up one or two high (but not first-round) draft selections to facilitate this deal.

Devils snag Markstrom

This move reportedly almost happened, and there's still plenty of time to get it done. Jacob Markstrom isn't as much of a lock to be traded as teammates Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin, but the Calgary Flames goaltender is now a candidate to be dealt, and the New Jersey Devils make perfect sense as his destination.

But it's not just that it's logical for both teams. The Devils have underachieved this season, thanks in large part to lackluster goaltending and injuries (especially to Dougie Hamilton). But they still boast a talented group of skaters, including Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Tyler Toffoli. This disappointing team was supposed to be fun to watch, so adding a proven netminder would make them more compelling.

The Devils may not be full-fledged buyers at this deadline because of their distance from the playoff picture. But with a talented core already in place and Markstrom under contract through 2025-26, adding him wouldn't just be about trying to make the playoffs this spring. Yes, the Swedish puck-stopper is 34 years old, but he's playing well again on a lackluster Flames squad.

Because of Markstrom's resume and the importance of his position, this would likely be a bit of a blockbuster involving numerous parts. The Devils have first-rounders in each of the next three drafts, plus prospects with upside like forward Alexander Holtz. New Jersey is also projected to have around $9.5 million in cap space at the deadline, so Markstrom's $6-million hit wouldn't be an issue.

Avalanche scoop up Henrique

Now that Sean Monahan's off the board, Adam Henrique is the best center available. The Anaheim Ducks pivot, who turned 34 earlier this month, is having a solid season, especially considering his age and current team. The veteran has proven he can still contribute and could solidify a contender's top six.

The Colorado Avalanche will be getting the equivalent of a deadline add when Valeri Nichushkin returns to game action in short order. But he's only a winger, whereas Henrique can be even more versatile by playing multiple forward positions.

The already electric Avalanche adding a player who can provide stability and experience in several ways would only make them more exciting come playoff time. Henrique's cap hit is a bit hefty at $5.825 million, and Colorado is only going to have about $1.2 million in cap space at the deadline at this rate. But it wouldn't be impossible if the Ducks were willing to retain some salary and take on an NHL contract in addition to other assets in return.

The Avalanche still have picks they can offer, but they have one of the league's worst prospect pools by virtue of continuously dealing prospects away to stay competitive. However, they have enough depth and upside on the NHL roster to put a package together that would get this done.

(Salary source: CapFriendly)

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The Nashville Predators won't look to deal Juuse Saros as long as they're in a postseason position, reports Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

The Predators sat outside the playoff picture for much of this season, but they're now riding a five-game win streak that's vaulted them into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. They're four points ahead of the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues, with one more game played than the former and two more than the latter.

Nashville's early mediocrity led to speculation that they might trade Saros. In January, it was reported that the Predators' preference was to sign the netminder to a contract extension, but they would listen to serious offers.

Saros has struggled this season compared to the standard he set in previous campaigns. The Finnish puck-stopper, who'll turn 29 in April, entered Tuesday with a .904 save percentage and a 23-21-2 record. He finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting last season, third in 2021-22, and sixth in the abbreviated 2021 campaign.

The goalie is signed through 2024-25 with a $5-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly. Nashville came into Tuesday's action with a 58.4% chance of making the playoffs, per MoneyPuck.

The Predators' goaltender of the future, Yaroslav Askarov, is thriving in the AHL this season with a .920 save percentage over 29 games. Nashville selected him 11th overall in 2020.

Saros has spent his entire nine-year career with the Predators, who drafted him 99th overall in 2013.

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Valeri Nichushkin has been cleared to resume practicing with the Colorado Avalanche and has entered the follow-up care phase of the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, the league and the union jointly announced Monday.

The forward has yet to be cleared to play in a game.

Nichushkin entered the program in mid-January. He's been away from the club while receiving care.

The Russian winger, who'll turn 29 on March 4, has 22 goals and 20 assists in 40 games this season.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine and Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov also entered the program in 2023-24.

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Joseph Woll is on the mend and back in the NHL.

The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled the goaltender from his conditioning loan with the AHL's Marlies, the NHL club announced Monday.

Woll hasn't played at the highest level since departing a win over the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 7 due to a high ankle sprain. He was labeled week-to-week two days later.

The 25-year-old played one game during his most recent stint with the Marlies, stopping all but one of 37 shots in a 4-1 victory over the Laval Rocket on Friday.

Woll performed well for the Maple Leafs this season before his injury. He went 8-5-1 with a .916 save percentage over 15 games, starting 13 of them. The American netminder briefly grabbed the No. 1 job before being forced to sit out for over two months.

Toronto is riding a seven-game win streak - its longest in 20 years - and got defenseman Morgan Rielly back from a five-game suspension Thursday.

Ilya Samsonov earned six of those victories in the Leafs' crease, albeit with an .896 save percentage. The Russian goalie has a mark of .883 to go along with a 14-4-6 record in 26 games this season. Martin Jones hasn't fared much better, going 11-7-1 with a .907 save percentage while starting all but two of his 20 appearances in 2023-24.

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The list of teams pursuing Chris Tanev continues to grow, as the Dallas Stars have shown strong interest in the Calgary Flames defenseman, reports The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Stars general manager Jim Nill wouldn't confirm that specifically, but he did acknowledge that he's eyeing an upgrade at the position.

"We've got a solid 13 forwards up top already, and then I know I've got a bunch of young guys down below," Nill told LeBrun. "Defense, you can never have enough defensemen. So that's something we're looking at. What's the cost of acquisition - what's the asset cost? That's what we're monitoring right now."

The Stars have been known for their defensive play in recent years, but this season has been a different story. They entered Monday ranked fourth in goals per game but tied for 12th in goals against per contest.

"That's why I don't think we've reached our best performance yet," Nill said. "I still think there's another level we can go to. That's finding the balance between offense and defense. We've been a pretty dynamic team offensively, but we know if we're going to have success in the playoffs, we have to tighten up defensively."

Tanev is one of the hottest commodities as the March 8 deadline approaches. The pending unrestricted free agent can invoke a 10-team no-trade list, but the Flames have already shipped out forward Elias Lindholm and may ultimately do the same with blue-liner Noah Hanifin.

The Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly been interested in acquiring Tanev. The rugged defense-first rearguard has a $4.5-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly.

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If there was any doubt the Ottawa Senators would be active ahead of the upcoming NHL trade deadline, it can be put to rest.

The Senators have untouchable players but are "open for business," league executives told Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

Ottawa forwards Vladimir Tarasenko and Dominik Kubalik are prime candidates to be dealt before March 8 because of their status as pending unrestricted free agents. Tarasenko has a $5-million cap hit, while Kubalik's figure is half of that, according to CapFriendly.

The Senators have reportedly listened to teams interested in defenseman Jakub Chychrun, who they acquired in a swap with the Arizona Coyotes last spring. Chychrun called the report "ridiculous" when asked about it in January. The blue-liner, who'll turn 26 on March 31, is under contract through 2024-25 with a $4.6-million cap hit.

Ottawa might not just be a seller, though. The Sens were reportedly one of the teams interested in Calgary Flames rearguard Chris Tanev, who is among the most coveted deadline targets.

In terms of untouchables, Ottawa has eight players signed through at least 2026-27. Team captain Brady Tkachuk (2027-28), Tim Stutzle (2030-31), Josh Norris (2029-30), Drake Batherson (2026-27), Thomas Chabot (2027-28), Artem Zub (2026-27), Jake Sanderson (2031-32), and Joonas Korpisalo (27-28) are all inked long term.

The Senators entered Saturday sitting second last in the Atlantic Division by points percentage. They have the fewest points in the group but three games in hand on the Montreal Canadiens, who have one more point.

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Winnipeg Jets chairman Mark Chipman doesn't seem confident that the club's dwindling attendance figures bode well for the future of his team.

The Jets' season-ticket base has fallen from around 13,000 to roughly 9,500 in the last three years, the club confirmed, according to The Athletic's Chris Johnston.

"I wouldn't be honest with you if I didn't say, 'We've got to get back to 13,000,'" Chipman said. "This place we find ourselves in right now, it's not going to work over the long haul. It just isn't."

The Jets' arena, now known as the Canada Life Centre, is the NHL's smallest permanent facility at a capacity of 15,225 for hockey games.

Winnipeg is averaging only 13,098 in 28 home games this season, according to Hockey Reference. That exceeds only the Arizona Coyotes, who are playing in an NCAA building. The Jets' 87.3% capacity is the third-worst rate in the league ahead of only the Buffalo Sabres and San Jose Sharks.

The Jets enjoyed sellout crowds for nearly a decade upon relocating from Atlanta in 2011. But their attendance has been trending downward since the pandemic, and Chipman acknowledged the NHL has taken notice.

"They pay attention," he said. "They see the numbers. They see where the league's at and where we're at. And we're an outlier right now. So, rightfully, they want to know, what are you doing? What's going on? What happened and what are you doing about it?"

The Jets have exceeded expectations on the ice despite their attendance troubles. They entered Friday with the best points percentage in the Central Division, trailing the first-place Dallas Stars by three points and the second-place Colorado Avalanche by two with four fewer games played than both squads.

In October, Chipman dismissed the notion that he'd sell or relocate the team.

"Because it happened once is it a concern it could happen again because you're the smallest market? I'd say, 'Not on our watch,'" he said.

The original Jets left Winnipeg to become the Coyotes in 1996.

Relocation and expansion have been hot topics in NHL circles lately. Last fall, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said some of the challenges the league faced in Atlanta could now be overcome. Then, in January, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith sent a letter to the NHL formally requesting expansion to Salt Lake City.

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New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff took aim at an unexpected target when asked about the team's recent woes on the man advantage.

"When you're struggling, and I imagine you've asked every player, now they're feeling it," Ruff told reporters following a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday night.

"You guys are creating excess pressure," the bench boss continued. "Us, as a staff, we'll go through that power play. We changed things up. We met with individual groups tonight versus, usually, you meet with all 10 or 11 of your power-play guys. We'll go through the whole thing again and just try to keep getting better."

The Devils enter Friday's action with the 15th-ranked power play in the NHL this season, converting 22% of the time. But it's been much worse lately, as they've scored in only two of 46 opportunities in the last 14 games. That's by far the worst rate in the league in that span.

New Jersey has had to rely on two rookies, Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, as power-play quarterbacks with Dougie Hamilton out long term due to injury.

"When we have two young defensemen that are anchoring, there's really not a replacement up top for us," Ruff said.

"They've probably done a better than expected job for me - both those kids - and they're going to continue to grow. There's a lot of stuff you like about their game. But ... with young defensemen, there are going to be mistakes and poor decisions at times. But you have to just live with that and grow through it."

The Devils fell to 28-24-4 with the loss and now sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division by points percentage.

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Patrick Kane's departure from the Chicago Blackhawks last season was well-documented, but he says it likely would never have happened had the organization committed to keeping him for the rest of his career.

“If they came to me and said, ‘We want you to be a Blackhawk for life. Can we work something out?’ I think it probably would have been tough to say no, just because of what happened there and the success we had and just the relationship with the organization,” Kane told The Athletic's Scott Powers.

The veteran forward waived his no-trade clause last February, allowing the Blackhawks to trade him to the New York Rangers. Kane departed Chicago after 16 seasons with the club that included three Stanley Cup championships.

"Being there for a long time and kind of being comfortable in the situation and just kind of what you do on a day-to-day basis, there’s definitely some comfort in that,” he said.

“But I think it’s been good for me to have some new experiences. And even though it didn’t go as well as I’d hoped in New York, I still thought that was a great experience for me. Even here, coming to Detroit, kind of a team on the rise that can have some success, it’s been fun to be here and try and build that with this group.”

Kane's nagging hip injury limited him in his brief tenure with the Rangers. The American winger collected only five goals and seven assists over 19 games before adding a goal and five assists in seven playoff contests. His recovery from offseason hip surgery forced him to miss nearly two months to start this campaign before he signed with the Red Wings as a free agent in late November.

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has overhauled the roster since taking over from Stan Bowman, who stepped down in October 2021. The futures of Kane and fellow ex-franchise fixture Jonathan Toews were persistent storylines last season as Davidson made it clear he was leaning toward more of a youth movement.

Toews eventually decided to take time away from hockey this season, the first campaign the club has played without him since 2006-07. Kane and Toews both debuted with the Blackhawks in 2007-08.

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William Nylander believes the Toronto Maple Leafs' four straight victories can be attributed to the club's desire to win without suspended defenseman Morgan Rielly.

"We've answered the bell, and I think Mo kind of lit the fire under the team, so I think, yeah, we're battling for Mo," Nylander said after his team defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Monday.

Toronto has outscored opponents 21-7 during its streak, which matches a season high for consecutive wins set two other times (November and January) this season.

The NHL suspended Rielly for five games after he cross-checked Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig, who took a slap shot into an empty net in his team's 5-3 win over the Leafs on Feb. 10.

Matthew Knies echoed Nylander's comments about the experienced defenseman and added that they're playing for Rielly because he stood up for his teammates.

"It's been (a) huge (rallying point)," the rookie said. "He kind of defended the respect of our team, and I think we're playing really hard now. He's a valuable piece to us, and we're excited that he's going to come back here soon. But I think we're playing really good hockey, and I think (his absence has) given us a jump."

Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews, who is this season's NHL goals leader, thinks it's more about adjustments than the suspension inspiring the team.

"I'm not sure (it's been) as much of a rallying point as much as just knowing that (we're) missing a very key piece of our team and our defensive core, and knowing you've got to step up collectively and do a job, and guys that are coming in and playing more minutes ... are going to be required to do more," Matthews said.

"So when you have that ... obviously it's great to have these guys come in ... and it just gives them more confidence and gives us confidence as a team."

Following the loss to the Senators in which the Rielly-Greig incident occurred, the Maple Leafs defeated the Blues, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Anaheim Ducks before prevailing over St. Louis again Monday.

Rielly, the longest-tenured member of the squad, will sit out Wednesday's road meeting with the Arizona Coyotes but can return Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights. Monday's win was the start of a four-game road swing for Toronto that concludes Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche.

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